Ramiz Raja: “Babar was scoring runs, but because of the tough home Test season there was undue pressure created on Babar. This is how the dressing room environment is disturbed”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has come to the defence of captain Babar Azam, asking why unnecessary pressure is being put on him.
He noted that Azam is doing his job of scoring runs and trying to help the team win.
However, following their disappointing home season, where they were whitewashed 3-0 in their Test series against England, drew their two-Test series against New Zealand 0-0 and lost the ODI series that followed 2-1, the criticism aimed at the 28-year-old increased as many people questioned whether he was the right man to lead the team.
Ramiz pointed out that such things not only distract players, but also have a negative impact on the dressing room vibe.
“Babar was scoring runs, but because of the tough home Test season there was undue pressure created on Babar. This is how the dressing room environment is disturbed,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam was recently involved in the Pakistan Super League, where he accumulated 522 runs in 11 matches for the Peshawar Zalmi, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 52.20 and a strike-rate of 145.40.
He subsequently led the national team in their white-ball series against New Zealand.
In the five-match T20I series, he amassed 130 runs, which included a century, at an average of 43.33 and a strike-rate of 146.06.
He then went on to accumulate 276 runs in five ODIs, which included a hundred and two half-centuries, at an average of 55.20.
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